Like laundry and dishes, there's always more Christmas music to tell you about...especially at this time of year. But first we have to visit the department of corrections for a bit.
We told y'all in our last post that The Connection was coming forth with tidings of great Rock n Roll joy this holiday season. And that remains the True. But I had the title of the disc as "Christmas Collection" when, in fact, a view of the very cover I posted would've revealed the title as "A Christmas Gift For...". Duh! The good news is that Amazon now has a listing for the digital edition (remember, CDs will be available from the group), so you can check out the samples of the new songs for yourself.
We told y'all in our last post that The Connection was coming forth with tidings of great Rock n Roll joy this holiday season. And that remains the True. But I had the title of the disc as "Christmas Collection" when, in fact, a view of the very cover I posted would've revealed the title as "A Christmas Gift For...". Duh! The good news is that Amazon now has a listing for the digital edition (remember, CDs will be available from the group), so you can check out the samples of the new songs for yourself.
India Arie, Motown's Grammy winning vocalist, has turned up on the Christmas release schedule. "Christmas With Friends" is slated for a November 4 release. India is also featured on the "Motown Christmas" album which arrives this coming Tuesday. India's Christmas record contains some of the last recorded work of Jazz legend Joe Sample, who passed away September 12.
And The Roys have "Bluegrass Kinda Christmas" coming out on November 18. The Roys are a brother and sister duo who have really exploded on a rural music scene that can use some new heroes. If you like Bluegrass at all (or Country, for that matter), check out "The View", the current album from the pair.
The Mark Kozelek album "Sings Christmas Carols" has been moved up a week to November 4 and Barnes & Noble are among the first mega-retailers on the scene with a pre-order listing. For more, check out this piece from Christmas Underground.
It's always fun to unveil cover art and we've got what is purported to be the cover for "Home For Christmas" by Tom Wopat and John Schneider. I see they managed to get the General Lee on there. Those of you who didn't participate in the Kickstarter campaign can look for the record about a month from now.
We've got a couple more Exclusives to tell you about. Idina Menzel's "Holiday Wishes", coming October 14, will also be released in Target Exclusive form on the same day. The Target version will feature two additional songs exclusive to that store. Meanwhile, Boston based Newbury Comics is offering an Exclusive red and white vinyl version of Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The candy cane colored vinyl is limited to 1500 and customers may purchase no more than five copies each. That one will also be officially released October 14.
And The Roys have "Bluegrass Kinda Christmas" coming out on November 18. The Roys are a brother and sister duo who have really exploded on a rural music scene that can use some new heroes. If you like Bluegrass at all (or Country, for that matter), check out "The View", the current album from the pair.
The Mark Kozelek album "Sings Christmas Carols" has been moved up a week to November 4 and Barnes & Noble are among the first mega-retailers on the scene with a pre-order listing. For more, check out this piece from Christmas Underground.
It's always fun to unveil cover art and we've got what is purported to be the cover for "Home For Christmas" by Tom Wopat and John Schneider. I see they managed to get the General Lee on there. Those of you who didn't participate in the Kickstarter campaign can look for the record about a month from now.
We've got a couple more Exclusives to tell you about. Idina Menzel's "Holiday Wishes", coming October 14, will also be released in Target Exclusive form on the same day. The Target version will feature two additional songs exclusive to that store. Meanwhile, Boston based Newbury Comics is offering an Exclusive red and white vinyl version of Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The candy cane colored vinyl is limited to 1500 and customers may purchase no more than five copies each. That one will also be officially released October 14.
Mentioned, in our last post, that Document Records will continue their highly successful "Blues Blues Christmas" series with Volume 4 this year. I'm already hearing that, as predicted, the release date has been moved back into November. But we also got the track list and this is one set where that's very important to see before laying your money down. Two discs once again and here they are.
 | DISC ONE: 1. Please Come Home For Christmas - Charles Brown 2. Christmas Time Blues - Roy Milton 3. White Christmas - The Drifters 4. Guitar Jingle Bells - Arthur Guitar Boogie Smith 5. Santa Claus Blues - Peetie Wheatstraw 6. Santa Claus Blues - Clarence Williams Blues Five 7. Santa Is On His Way - Bob Wills 8. Looking For Me Santa Claus - Sam Manning 9. It's Christmas Time - The Qualities 10. I Hear Jingle Bells - Freddie King 11. Santa Claus Blues - Champion Jack Dupree 12. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - The Cadillacs 13. Santa Done Got Hip - The Marquees 14. Cool Cool Xmas - Bobby & Boobie 15. Sleighbell Rock - Chuck Blevins 16. Mambo Santa Mambo - The Enchanters 17. Cowboy Santa Claus - Bill Lacey & Lil Armstrong 18. Father Christmas - The Mighty Spoiler 19. Love For Christmas - Jackson Trio 20. Christmas In Heaven - Billy Ward & His Dominoes |
DISC TWO:
1. Christmas Time - Coree Carter
2. Mr. Santa Claus - Nathaniel Mayer
3. It's Christmas - Marvin & Johnny
4. Cowboy Santa Claus - Prairie Ramblers
5. Santa Clause Rock And Roll - Kathy & Jimmy Zee
6. Tell Santa Claus - Nap Hepburn
7. Xmas Eve Baby - Johnny Moore's Blazers
8. Christmas Eve - Gribble Lusk York
9. Answer To Maple On The Hill - Dixon Brothers
10. Silent Night - Golden Gate Quartet
11. Children Go Where I Send Thee - Victory Five
12. Twenty-Fifth Day Of December - Middle Georgia Four
13. A Mother, A Father, A Baby - Dixon Brothers
14. Sweet Little Angel Boy - Ward Singers
15. A Child Is Born - Angelic Gospel Singers
16. Glory Glory To The King - Ward Singers
17. Can This Be Christmas - Falcons
18. Christmas Is A Joyful Day - Executor
19. Happy New Year To You - The Qualities
20. After New Year's Eve - The Heartbeats
1. Christmas Time - Coree Carter
2. Mr. Santa Claus - Nathaniel Mayer
3. It's Christmas - Marvin & Johnny
4. Cowboy Santa Claus - Prairie Ramblers
5. Santa Clause Rock And Roll - Kathy & Jimmy Zee
6. Tell Santa Claus - Nap Hepburn
7. Xmas Eve Baby - Johnny Moore's Blazers
8. Christmas Eve - Gribble Lusk York
9. Answer To Maple On The Hill - Dixon Brothers
10. Silent Night - Golden Gate Quartet
11. Children Go Where I Send Thee - Victory Five
12. Twenty-Fifth Day Of December - Middle Georgia Four
13. A Mother, A Father, A Baby - Dixon Brothers
14. Sweet Little Angel Boy - Ward Singers
15. A Child Is Born - Angelic Gospel Singers
16. Glory Glory To The King - Ward Singers
17. Can This Be Christmas - Falcons
18. Christmas Is A Joyful Day - Executor
19. Happy New Year To You - The Qualities
20. After New Year's Eve - The Heartbeats
It's looking like a pretty good season for Bluegrass fans, with holiday sets from Claire Lynch, Rick Lang, and The Roys all on the schedule. For those who prefer a compilation, we've got one of those, too. Some of the tracks on "Christmas In The Smokies" I know very well and some I don't know at all. And that's kind of what you want in such a collection. Release is scheduled for November, but we don't yet have the precise date. What we do have is cover art and the track list. And that's enough for me.
 | Christmas In The Smokies - Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road Jingle Bells - Phil Ledbetter My Christmas Dream - Josh Williams The Christmas Song - Newton & Thomas Frosty The Snowman - Scott Vestal, Wayne Benson, Jeff Autry A Carpenter, A Mother & A King - The Village Singers Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Newton & Thomas Stuck In The Chimney - Fred Travers There's A New Kid In Town - Wildfire Winter Wonderland - Wild & Blue It's A Time For Joy - Matt Wallace & Jesse Gregory White Christmas - Charlie Waller & The Country Gentlemen O Come All Ye Faithful - Ross Nickerson Away In A Manger - Larry Stephenson Go Tell It On The Mountain - Special Consensus |
The British Boy Band The Vamps, currently ripping up the UK charts with their cover of Paul Simon's "Cecilia", have been joking about a Christmas album for a couple of weeks. I didn't add them to The List--not even as a Possible--because, well, they're goofballs and I wasn't taking their Christmas album jokes seriously. Guess I was wrong. The band has recorded 8 holiday songs, including two originals. They've tacked the 8 new tracks onto their debut album, making for an extended digital download of "Meet The Vamps" (no hard copy of the Christmas songs) which will be released December 1. As of right now, the only place you can find to pre-order this is The Vamps web site and it is ONLY available to UK customers. At least that's what it says (I didn't try it, myself). All things make their way here sooner or later, so I wouldn't be all that concerned about it. Given that it doesn't release until December 1, you can wait a good long while to see if it turns up domestically. I mean, it's not as though anybody ever runs out of mp3's. And the way this year's been going, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out on goofball colored vinyl (or "coloured" vinyl, since its British). Your tween daughter might be less philosophical, though.
Now, how am I supposed to ignore this one? It's a Christmas album from Smooth Jazz keyboard man Tom Grant called "There's A Kitty Under The Christmas Tree". All together now. Awww. The album also features Rebecca Kilgore, Phil Baker and others. Outside of the title track, the songs, here, should be familiar to you. No release date, yet, though probably in November.
 | 1. Christmas Dreaming 2. Winter Wonderland 3. Blue Christmas 4. Angels We Have Heard on High 5. Baby, It's Cold Outside 6. We Wish You A Merry Christmas 7. I'll Be Home For Christmas 8. Winter Warm 9. My Favorite Things 10. White Christmas 11. Let It Snow 12. There's A Kitty Under The Christmas Tree 13. Sleigh Ride |
Finally, it's been 60 years since the film "White Christmas" was released. That movie featured Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. According to BingCrosby.com, included with the Diamond Anniversary Blu-ray edition is an exclusive CD featuring 12 Christmas tracks from the stars of the film (and others). Eight of those tracks, they say, have never before been released in any format. The Blu-ray with bonus CD hits the shelves October 14. Dang. You know, I don't even have a color for Blu-ray on The List. Guess I'm gonna have to come up with one.
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